Sound and expectancy

   Over the past few days I have heard a sound during my morning park walks that is both familliar and was, initially hard to place. The sound came from an area that is hidden by shrubs at the southern part of Stow Lake, and the first time I heard it three days ago it didn't strike me as out of the ordinary, though I didn't think about what was producing the sound either. It wasn't really until two days later that it dawned on me that it was the sound of a bullfrog, a sound which is a regular one at Stow Lake, but which, from what I understand, is only heard for a short period annually when the animal is looking for a mate (at least that's what regulars who have been walking there for years have told me).
   So it seems that this annual sound event, which occupies only the smalles part of my day when it is occuring, is something like a vague memory that brings hope and excitement to me, and which fills me with expectation when I approach the hidden area where the animal seems to reside.
   Although I have been walking around Stow Lake (mostly) daily for more than two years now, it wasn't until one day last year that I saw the maker of this sound, a large black frog, which was ahead of me in the walking path, and which quickly disappeared as I approached. At first, in the foggy, drizzly weather, it looked like a large black, plastic bag, the kind that you rarely see here in San Francisco since these kinds of bags were banned here almost two years ago, but as I got closer it jumped away, and I was joyful.
   Experiencing these kinds of things is for me like being told that a wonderful surprise awaits you, and having the trust and patience to know it will come at some point. It is something to look forward to in the future, and allthough I don't necessarliy need to have a possible reward on the horizon to make my life worth living, it does add to its' allure.
   The existence of the wonderful sounds, sights and smells that have been available to me in the past in my park spots creates a belief for me that there are more of them available to me in the future, and the expectancy of them suggests that there is more good ahead.